University College Dublin (UCD) has appointed Professor Robert Bogdan Staszewski, a world renowned engineering researcher, to lead a cutting-edge research programme to increase Ireland’s capability as a global centre for the ‘Internet-of-Things’. Professor Staszewski has been awarded €5 million in funding under Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Research Professorship Programme. The appointment is also supported by Analog Devices and Xilinx.

Professor Staszewski brings to the role an impressive track record of combining leading academic research with the development and commercialisation of technology. His research in Digital Radio Frequency circuits drove size and cost reductions that enabled mobile telephony to go from 22% global penetration in 2003 to over 96% in 2013.

He spent 18 years with leading firms Alcatel and Texas Instruments, and was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a group within Texas Instruments which generated revenue of $1 billion per year.

He has produced numerous highly-cited papers that are fundamental to the development of Digital Radio Frequency techniques, holds a prestigious European Research Council Consolidator grant, spun out two start-up companies based on his research and holds over 120 issued US patents.

He has now relocated to University College Dublin from Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. His current research addresses fundamental circuit challenges in the next big technological revolution – the Internet of Things. Many projections foresee that 30-50 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the internet by the end of this decade, as smart cities, connected health and smart agriculture develop.

Commenting on his appointment Professor Staszewski said, “Not only was my decision to come to Ireland based on the excellent research carried out in UCD, but also by Ireland’s reputation as a great place to live and work. I am delighted to join the team within UCD, which has an excellent College of Engineering and Architecture and great ambition in the area of Internet-of-Things research.”

Professor Staszewski’s research programme could lead to key technical breakthroughs to enable low cost, low power electronics fundamental to the Internet of Things. This would have significant impact on Ireland’s world-class microelectronics and software industries, part of a multi-trillion dollar global market.

Commenting on the announcement, Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland said, “Ireland has firmly established itself as a serious global player in the technology sector and this funding will further enhance our profile as a centre of excellence for research. SFI is committed to funding excellent research with impact and Professor Staszewski has a proven track record in combining high impact academic research with the development and commercialisation of technology; his research in the area of Digital Radio Frequency circuits was pivotal in the rapid global development of mobile telephony over the last ten years. As a result of the funding, he will now build a world-leading team which will be well positioned to pursue and secure additional international funding from industry and the EU Horizon 2020 programme.”

Welcoming Professor Staszewski, President of UCD, Professor Andrew Deeks, said, “UCD has prioritised research focusing on the Internet of Things within our research strategy, as a natural complement to our existing strengths in Data Science. The appointment of Professor Staszewski will further strengthen UCD’s portfolio in this area, which is now a crucial and vibrant part of the Irish economy. Furthermore, this research programme will provide a pipeline of PhD qualified circuit designers for Ireland’s microelectronics industry.”

The SFI Research Professorship Programme, in partnership with the Irish universities, aims to recruit global research and leadership talent to Ireland to build the national research base in key strategic areas of economic importance with the aim of enhancing Ireland’s reputation as a centre of excellence for research and creating economic impact.